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T h e I c i n gOn the Cake

My Top 10 Films.... as of today, tomorrow it may be different...

Wings of Desire Wim Wenders. 1987. Germany / France
In a dreamlike, monochrome Berlin, an angel observes a lonely trapeze artist and wishes he could become human. A profound and spellbindingly beautiful film for angels and mortals alike.

See also: Alice in the Cities / Paris, Texas / The American Friend

Chungking ExpressWong Ka Wai. 1994. Hong KongStylishly shot tale of two lonely cops in modern day Hong Kong. California Dreaming and tinned pineapple will never be the same again.

See also: Days of Being Wild / In The Mood for Love / 2046 / Fallen Angels

DekologKyzsztof Kieslowski. 1989. PolandThou shall not make religious allegories (unless they’re as good as this). Mesmerizing interlinking re-imaginings of the ten commandants set on a beautifully bleak housing estate in Warsaw.

See also: Three Colours Blue / The Double Life of Veronique / The 10 Commandments (D Mille)

Stars Wars Part IV: A New HopeGeorge Lucas. 1977. USA A long time ago in a galaxy far far away… Story telling doesn’t get much better than this.

See also: The Empire Strikes Back and the last 20 minutes of Revenge of the Sith

KesKen Loach. 1969. UKDid you kill that lads hawk? Loach masterfully combines gritty social realism, a powerful coming of age story and moments of pure comic genius (the football match with Brain Glover is hilarious.) A classic of British cinema.

See also: Cathy Come Home / Raining Stones / My Name is Joe

The White BalloonJafar Panahi. 1995. Iran A trip to buy a goldfish turns into the biggest adventure in the life of a young girl in Tehran. The money in the drain scene is as suspenseful as anything that Hichcock ever did.

Before Sunrise/SunsetRichard Linklater. 1995 / 2004. USA / Austria / SwitzerlandYoung love blossoms in Vienna and Paris in Linklater’s intelligent walk & talkers. Great dialogue and two of the biggest cliff hangers in the history of cinema.

See also: Slacker / Dazed and Confused or most of Eric Rohmer’s back catalogue.

Lovers of the Arctic CircleJulio Medem. 1996. SpainYoung love blossoms (periodically) in the land of the midnight sun. A captivating post modern fairytale of two childhood sweethearts with Palendromic names who’s destinies seem inextricably linked in a never ending cycle of love, loss and coincidence.

See also: Tierra / The Red Squirrel / Sex and Lucia

The next ten:

A Taste of CherryAbbas Kiarostami. 1996. Iran
Compelling parable about a man trying to get someone to help him commit suicide. The ending is a killer.

See also: Close Up / Where is The Friends House / And Life Goes On / Through the Olive Trees

The Bicycle Thief’sVittorio De Sica. 1948. ItalyNeo realism, Italian style. We never know who took the first bicycle, but we know all about the second. A poignant, timeless classic with an unforgettable ending.

See also: Umberto D / Rome, Open City (Rossellini)

Pather PanchaliSatyajit Ray. 1955. India
Neo realism, Indian style. Start of Rays epic trilogy about a boy growing up in West Bengal. One of cinemas greatest extended character studies.

Aguirre, Wrath of GodWerner Herzog. 1972. GermanyIt really shouldn’t work - the (dubbed) German speaking Spanish conquistadors give it Monty Python and the Holy Gail feel, but Herzog’s breathtaking, death defying location work make this an unforgettable trip into the heart of darkness.

See also: Apocalypse Now (Coppola) / Fizzcaraldo / Strozek / Even Dwarfs Started Small

Best of 2008 so far4 Months 3 Weeks 2 Days, Happy Go Lucky, In Search of a Midnight Kiss,Waltz With Bashire, The Edge of Heaven, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Still Life, Persepolis, No Country for Old Men, My Winnipeg, Killer of Sheep, El Bano Del Papa, Unreleated, Juno, WALL-E, Son of Man, The Orphanage, Quiet City, Buddha Collapsed out of Shame, Time and Winds

Best of 2007
This is England, Once, Control, Two Days in Paris, Play, The Family Friend, Climates, Funny Ha Ha / Mutual Appreciation, 12:08 East of Bucharest, Darrat, Paranoid Park, The Bothersome Man, Old Joy, The Lives of Others, After the Wedding, Atonement

Best of 2006
Hidden, Le Enfant, Three Times, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, United 93, Happy Feet, Brokeback Mountain, The Death of Mr Lazarescu, Grizzly Man, The New World, Volver, Borat, The Queen, The Squid and the Whale, 40 Year Old Virgin, Hard Candy, Brothers of the Head

Over rated: The Departed, The History Boys

Best of 2005
Tarnation, Me & You & Everyone We Know, Primer, Mysterious Skin, Palindromes, Maria Full of Grace, 2046, Turtles Can Fly, Team America: World Police, The Consequences of Love, Yes, Sideways, Crash, Last Days, Duck Season